The present invention relates to a vehicle with a heating device.
In some vehicles, such as diesel vehicles or hybrid or electric vehicles for example, the “waste air” produced by individual vehicle components is not sufficient to adequately heat the passenger compartment, at least at low outside temperatures. Therefore, electrical heating devices are used for vehicles of this kind. Electrical heating devices can be divided into “high-temperature heating devices” and “low-temperature heating devices” with respect to their temperature. In high-temperature heating devices, the heat source is at a considerably higher temperature than in low-temperature heating devices. Known low-temperature heating devices are, in particular, panel heaters, such as seat heaters for example.
The object of the invention is to provide a vehicle with a heating device, such as a high temperature heating device.
This and other objects are achieved by a vehicle having a heating device with an electrically operated heat source and a reflector configured to reflect thermal radiation output by the heat source in a direction of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. A contact-protection device is provided, wherein the contact-protection device is permeable to radiation so that the thermal radiation output by the heat source, or reflected by the reflector, is emitted into the passenger compartment. The heat source and the reflector are arranged on a side of the contact-protection device, and the side is averted from the passenger compartment.
For example, a vehicle with a heating device has an electrically operated “heat source”. The “heat source” can be designed in the form of a point or sphere or in the form of a line or cylinder. A heating device according to the invention further has a reflector which reflects thermal radiation, which is output by the heat source, in the direction of a passenger compartment of the vehicle or into the passenger compartment.
The vehicle may be, for instance, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. However, in principle, the invention can also be used in conventional vehicles, e.g., vehicles which are driven purely by an internal combustion engine.
The vehicle further has a “contact-protection device” which is permeable to radiation, so that thermal radiation which is output by the heat source or is reflected by the reflector can be emitted into the passenger compartment. The heat source and the reflector are arranged on a side of the contact-protection device, the side being averted from the passenger compartment.
A heating device of this kind can be used in an extremely wide variety of locations in the vehicle (e.g., motor vehicle), for example, in a footwell region, in or in the region of an instrument panel, of a vehicle door, etc. The reflector ensures that the thermal radiation which is output by the heat source does not enter, for example, the vehicle structure but rather is output into the passenger compartment. The contact-protection device prevents a passenger getting too close to the heat source of the heating device. Thus, burns, for example, are prevented as a result.
The heat source may be, in particular, a high-temperature heat source which has a temperature of more than 100° C., in particular a temperature of more than 150° C. High thermal or heating powers can be achieved with a low installation space requirement with “hot” heat sources of this kind.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a “rearward reflector” is arranged between the heating device and the contact-protection device, or a (rear) side of the contact-protection device, the (rear) side facing the heating device, can be provided with a reflector layer. A rearward reflector of this kind or a reflector layer prevents the contact-protection device from being excessively heated. “Excessively” means that that region of the contact-protection device, which is accessible from the passenger compartment, is so hot that a person may get burnt on it.
According to another embodiment of the invention, provision is made for the reflector of the heating device to reach directly as far as or close to the contact-protection device or the rearward reflector. This ensures that the large majority of the thermal radiation which is produced by the heating device is reflected in the direction of the radiation-permeable region of the contact-protection device and not, for example, into the vehicle structure. Build-ups of heat in the vehicle structure or heat losses to the vehicle structure can be largely avoided or minimized as a result.
In order to further improve the efficiency of the heating device, a thermal insulation layer can be arranged on a side of the reflector, such that the side is averted from the contact-protection device. As a result, the thermal radiation in the direction of the radiation-permeable region of the contact-protection device, that is to say into the passenger compartment, is further improved and heat losses into the vehicle structure are reduced.
The reflector preferably has a curved shape. The reflector is preferably of concave design as viewed from the heat source.
In one example, the reflector can be of parabolic design. When the heat source is arranged in the focal point of the reflector or in a region of the parabolic reflector close to the focal point, said heat source outputs heat virtually in parallel. Therefore, a parabolic reflector can represent a “parallel heat radiator”.
In another example, the reflector could also be of elliptical design. When the heat source is arranged in one of the two focal points of the elliptical reflector or in a region which is close to one of the two focal points of the elliptical reflector, the reflector emits the thermal radiation through the other focal point of the elliptical reflector. In other words, a thermal radiation bundle through the other focal point of the elliptical reflector is produced.
In the case of an elliptical reflector, provision may be made for the heat source to be arranged in one of the two focal points and for the other focal point to lie in the region of a partition wall of the contact-protection device. The term “partition wall” is very generally to be understood to mean an element which forms the “boundary” between the passenger compartment region and a trim or the vehicle structure. When one of the two focal points of the elliptical reflector lies in the region of the partition wall, a thermal radiation bundle which emits radiation into the passenger compartment from the partition wall region in the manner of a fan is produced.
In yet another example, the elliptical reflector can be arranged such that the two focal points lie on that side of the contact-protection device which is averted from the passenger compartment, that is to say “behind the partition wall”. As a result, the thermal power density in the region of the partition wall, that is to say as far as the boundary in relation to the passenger compartment, is lower, this reducing the risk of burns still further.
In addition, a ventilation device can be provided, said ventilation device blowing air into the passenger compartment from that side of the contact-protection device which is averted from the passenger compartment. A ventilation device of this kind can still further improve the efficiency of the heating device and still further reduce the risk of heat building up in the vehicle structure behind trim elements of the passenger compartment.
Furthermore, a temperature sensor which is connected to an electronics system can be provided, said temperature sensor detecting any build-up of heat, that is to say a situation of a prespecified temperature being exceeded in the region of the heat source, the reflector or the contact-protection device. If a prespecified temperature is exceeded, provision may be made for the electronics system to automatically switch off the heat source or reduce the heating power. The situation of a critical temperature being reached or exceeded can be indicated in the vehicle, for example optically by means of a display device (for example in a combination instrument, a display in the central region of the instrument panel, or the like) and/or acoustically by means of an audio signal.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the contact-protection device has at least one opening for the passage of thermal radiation from the heating device into the passenger compartment. The at least one opening is preferably so small that human appendages, such as a human finger for example, cannot be inserted into the opening.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the reflector has a metallic surface. Said reflector can be produced, for example, from aluminum or from another material. The surface is preferably polished, this producing a particularly high degree of reflection.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.